In an interesting story for Andscape, Marc J. Spears details Cedric Coward‘s unconventional journey to the NBA. The Grizzlies wing, who was selected 11th overall in June’s draft, had no Division I offers as a high school senior and spent his freshman college season on a non-athletic scholarship at Willamette University, a Division III school in Salem, Oregon.
“It was hard to believe I could go to the NBA then, if I’m being honest,” Coward said. “But I had to because I’m a big believer in manifestation and seeing where you want to be in life. And I always watch basketball all the time, especially NBA games. You have to imagine yourself on the court. Either that or the dream can die.
“And for me, even though it was hard, I felt as if I was working out for a team or I was on the court in a game. Even though I wasn’t in that situation, you had to keep believing in yourself. And for me, I had to keep making that vision possible, or in my mind at least.”
As Spears writes, after a strong freshman campaign for the Bobcats, Coward transferred to mid-major Eastern Washington. He had a relatively modest role as a sophomore, but started to garner NBA attention during his junior season and tested the draft waters in 2024 before withdrawing. Coward transferred to Washington State as a senior and was off to a terrific start before a torn labrum in his shoulder ended his season early.
Despite only playing six games for the Cougars, the 22-year-old rose up draft boards due to his elite efficiency and an excellent performance at the combine. After shaking off some rust during the preseason, Coward has impressed both the Grizzlies and people around the NBA, averaging 15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals on .587/.478/.909 shooting through seven games (25.3 minutes per contest).
“The first thing you got to know about Cedric is his approach to the game and his professionalism,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said, per Spears. “That is what’s driving the daily development. He has tremendous tools for a wing. He’s got great length, physicality. He’s athletic. He’s skilled. So, he has all the tools in place.
“It’s been a tremendous learning curve for him, obviously, not having played a lot in the last year because of his injury and then jumping from a relatively low level to the NBA. So, it’s been really impressive what he has been able to do in a short amount of time and with a short amount of practice time and live games.”
We have more from Memphis:
- Prior to Monday’s contest, Iisalo was asked about the one-game suspension Ja Morant received for conduct detrimental to the team. Iisalo reportedly challenged Morant’s “leadership and effort” after Friday’s loss to the Lakers, and Morant responded in an “inappropriate and dismissive way.” According to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link), Iisalo repeatedly said “we had a discussion and we’re all looking to move forward and beat the Pistons tonight” anytime he was asked about the incident.
- While Iisalo didn’t reveal much about the Morant situation, he did broadly discuss his substitution patterns, which is reportedly one of the issues Morant has with the Finnish coach, who is in his first full season at the helm. To briefly summarize the in-depth response (Twitter link via Herrington), Iisalo said that while he understands that players might be accustomed to playing longer stretches at a time, the goal of the shorter shifts is to find a competitive advantage for the team, both now and going forward.
- A combination of off-court incidents, injuries, and declining production has Sam Quinn of CBS Sports questioning whether it’s time for Memphis to move on from Morant after his latest controversy. While Quinn argues the Grizzlies may be better off without Morant, he acknowledges finding a trade partner would be tricky, and the team likely wouldn’t get much in return for the 26-year-old guard, who is on a maximum-salary contract that runs through 2027/28.
- Second-year center Zach Edey is progressing from offseason ankle surgery, having been assigned to and then recalled from the Memphis Hustle following a practice with the G League club on Monday (Twitter links via the Grizzlies). It’s an encouraging sign for the Grizzlies, who have been without Edey and Brandon Clarke (knee surgery) to open the season.
Morant has all the maturity of a 7th grader. I take that back. That’s an insult to 7th graders.
I am not a Ja fan, but… MEM needs to get rid of the coach!
Can’t be falling out with your star player ever, much less so early in the season, right?
He didn’t fall out with the player the player simply didn’t like his rotation, stopping putting in effort and acted like a baby in a post match interview. Ja also has issues with Jenkins coaching. It’s not a coaching issue it’s a player issue
If you had your career questioned and knew it would cost you tens of millions in reputational damage, you’d be pissed too.
Leadership? WTF does that even mean? Your coach is the leader not the players. Maybe he’s the problem in Memphis.
I don’t see Memphis as the kind of city. That will put with Morants indiscretions. This is serious business for them. You can’t have this immaturity as the face of the franchise. He just doesn’t get it. Losing all that endorsement money. Has only pissed him off. He is still on an Island. This team has potential and is young. They do not need to have this as their best player. I’m the owner. I’m shopping him right now. You can still get good value for Ja. Why would I risk my franchise this team on this malcontent child.
It’s not just the behaviour too
The off the court stuff getting in trouble and then doing it again …